The invention relates to a visual-sound-reproducing system, which is mountable within a room (hereafter, referred as a cabin) of a mobile unit such as automobile and so on, for example.
In recent years, a display for operating a car-navigation soft or for looking behind for traffic when the automobile is rolling rearward is often mounted in the automobile. The display is generally placed on a dashboard to facilitate that a driver looks a picture reproduced on a monitor screen. The display is connected to a DVD (digital versatile disc) driving device operating the car-navigation soft, for example, and is placed near the driver""s seat.
Incidentally, when a person sitting in a rear seat watches the picture such as cinema and so on using the display placed on the dashboard, a front seat or a silhouette of a passenger sitting in the front seat obstruct a part of the picture. In this way, the person sitting in the rear seat must eventually watch the picture through a clearance defined between front seats without keeping calm.
It is a known example that a display is placed in a cabin of the automobile to allow appreciation of the picture from the rear seat. FIG. 1 is a front view of a conventional example of a display for appreciation from a rear seat. In the drawing, a reference numeral 1 denotes a front seat, and a reference numeral 2 denotes a headrest. A pair of legs 3 of the headrest 2 are inserted into a pair of holes (not shown) formed at a top of the front seat 1, and the headrest 2 is mounted at the front seat 1 to allow reciprocal movement of the headrest 2 in vertical directions. A display panel 4 is mounted on a shoulder section of the front seat 1 close to a center of the cabin, and is fixed to the legs 3 of the headrest 2 using an arm 5.
The display 4 is mounted in a sedan-type automobile for example to provide very high-visibility to a passenger sitting in the rear seat. However, since the display 4 is placed at the shoulder section of the front seat 1, the positioning is low. When the display 4 is mounted in one box type automobile having three rows of seats including front, middle and rear seats for example, the middle seat obstructs the picture reproduced on the display 4. In this way, a person sitting in the rear seat as a third seat must eventually watch the picture through a clearance defined between middle seats, and there is a problem that it is impossible to watch it with keeping calm.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the other conventional example of a display for appreciation from a rear seat. In the drawing, a reference numeral 10 denotes a floor console, and a reference numeral 11 denotes a retractable lid allowing being lifted perpendicularly mounted on a rear section of the floor console 10. A display 12 is disposed at a rear face of the lid 11, and an operating section 13 operating the display 12 is arranged at the rear section of the floor console 10 which is covered with the lid 11.
However, since the display 12 is disposed at the floor console 10, the positioning is too low. When the display 12 is mounted in one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example, the middle seat obstructs the picture reproduced on the display 12. In this way, a person sitting in the rear seat as a third seat must eventually watch the picture through a clearance defined between middle seats, and there is a problem that it is impossible to watch comfortably it.
The invention was made to solve the foregoing problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a visual-sound-reproducing system allowing a comfortable appreciation of cinema in the rear seat of the one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example.
A visual-sound-reproducing system according to the invention comprises a display panel reproducing a picture on a monitor screen; a moving mechanism moving the display panel toward a home-position that the monitor screen of the display panel is nearly parallel to a ceiling of a cabin of an automobile and a play-position that the monitor screen of the display panel faces rearward; and a visual-sound device providing information regarding visual and sound. In this way, since the display panel at the play-position can be kept in a high position within the cabin, it is possible to ensure visibility of adequate level with respect to a picture reproduced on the display panel. Therefore, when a passenger sitting in the rear seat watches the picture reproduced on the display panel, the picture is not obstructed due to a front seat or a silhouette of a passenger sitting in the front seat. As a result, it is not necessary to watch the picture through a clearance defined between the front seats, and it is possible to watch comfortably it with keeping calm. When the display panel becomes unnecessary, the display panel is returned by the moving mechanism to the home-position. As a result, it is possible to ensure a rear visibility of the driver to offer a superior level of safety. It is possible to ensure a passage space, through which the passenger walks, in the one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a rotational means rotating the display panel at an angle defined between the play-position and the home-position, the display panel being supported rotationally on a support axis mounted on the ceiling of the cabin and extending in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the automobile. In this way, it is possible to open and close adjustably the display panel due to the rotational means. As a result, a passenger sitting in the rear seat can watch the picture reproduced on the display panel.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a guide member mounted on the ceiling of the cabin and extending the longitudinal direction of the automobile; and a rectilinear moving means moving reciprocally the display panel along the guide member. In this way, since the display panel can be moved reciprocally in the longitudinal direction of the automobile, it is possible to select as appropriate a position best suited to watching the picture reproduced on the display panel due to the rectilinear moving means. When the system is mounted in the one box type automobile having three rows of seats for example, it is possible to provide a picture to passengers sitting in middle and rear seats or to provide exclusively it to only passengers sitting in the rear seat. Thus, with the system, since various features can be selected, it is possible to improve the usability of the system.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a rotation-locking mechanism locking the display panel into the home-position, the display panel being supported rotationally on a support axis mounted on the ceiling of the cab in and extending in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the automobile. In this way, since the display panel can be fixed to the home-position due to a hand-operated rotation-locking mechanism, it is possible to provide a display unit at low prices. When the rotation-locking mechanism is released, the display panel is rotationally hanged from the ceiling of the cabin. As a result, the display panel can be easily changed to the play-position.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism includes a guide member mounted on the ceiling of the cabin and extending a longitudinal direction of the automobile; a support plate being reciprocally supported on the guide member and supporting the display panel; and a reciprocal movement-locking mechanism controlling over a reciprocal movement of the support plate with respect to the guide member, and the reciprocal movement-locking mechanism may have an engagement projection arranged at any one of the support plate and the guide member; at least two engagement depressions arranged at the other in the longitudinal direction of the automobile; and a biasing member biasing the engagement projection against the engagement depressions. In this way, since the reciprocal movement-locking mechanism is arranged, it is possible to select as appropriate a positioning of the support plate with respect to the guide member. As a result, it is possible to stop stepwise the display panel at a favorite position.
With the above arrangement, the moving mechanism may include a horizontal turn mechanism supports the display panel to allow an oscillation of the display panel in a lateral direction of the automobile when the display panel locates at the play-position. In this way, since the display panel can be manually oscillated in the lateral direction of the automobile, it is possible to select as appropriate a position best suited to watching the picture reproduced on the display panel. As a result, it is possible to improve the usability of the system. With a face-to-face rotational seat type characterized in that the front seat is rotationally mounted to face the rear seat, it is possible to change the oscillation angle of the display panel to substantially face forward or toward the front seat. As a result, passengers sitting in the front seats also can watch the picture reproduced on the display panel.
With the above arrangement, it may further comprise a control mechanism controlling the rotational means to return the display panel located at the play-position to the home-position when a transmission gear of the automobile shifts to a reverse gear. In this way, when the transmission gear of the automobile shifts to the reverse gear to move the automobile rearward, the display panel does not obstruct a rear visibility of the driver. As a result, it is possible to ensure an adequate level of safety.
With the above arrangement, it may further comprise a loudspeaker performing sonic reproduction regarding the picture reproduced on the display panel and a sound device providing information regarding sound to the loudspeaker. In this way, it is possible to watch the picture reproduced on the display panel while listening to a powerful sound reproduced by the loudspeaker.
With the above arrangement, the loudspeaker may include a front loudspeaker located at the front of a front seat and a rear loudspeaker located near a rear seat, and further comprising a control mechanism controlling an operation of the rear loudspeaker in response to open/close of the display panel. In this way, the rear loudspeaker is operated when the display panel is closed in the home-position, and is stopped when the display panel is opened in the play-position. As a result, it is possible to save power consumption of the system.
With the above arrangement, it may further comprise an indicator arranged near to the display panel, the indicator indicating operating conditions of the display panel. In this way, passengers sitting in the rear seats apart from the display panel also can grasp easily an operation of the display panel.
With the above arrangement, it may further comprise a wireless remote controller transmitting optical signals to control an operation of the display panel, and the indicator may be provided with a photoreceptor receiving the optical signals from the wireless remote controller. In this way, passengers sitting in the rear seats apart from the display panel can also operate adjustably the display panel to improve the usability of the system.
With the above arrangement, it may further comprise a wireless headphone performing sonic reproduction regarding the picture reproduced on the display panel, and the indicator may be provided with a transmitter transmitting optical signals including information regarding sound to the wireless headphone. In this way, passengers sitting in the rear seats apart from the display panel can also receive adjustably optical signals from the transmitter to improve the usability of the system.
With the above arrangement, the loudspeaker performing sonic reproduction regarding the picture reproduced on the display panel may include a front loudspeaker located at the front of a front seat and a rear loudspeaker located near a rear seat, and further comprising a control mechanism stopping an operation of the rear loudspeaker when the wireless headphone receives information regarding sound from a transmitter. In this way, since both of the rear loudspeaker and the wireless headphone are not operated at one time, it is possible to prevent properly interference of sound between the rear loudspeaker and the wireless headphone.